Car Sick

[anniejac]

My neighbours two Jack Russell's get really car sick, as they go down to their beach house most weekends this is becoming a real problem

They have tried Ginger with no success, has anyone got any ideas, would be much appreciated.

[Nicole...]

If you do a search for car sickness you should find lots and lots of topics regarding this.

The basics that I've found work well are:

-avoid feeding for a few hours before you go

-use air con/window down so plenty of fresh air

-have play sessions and feeding times in the car while stationary at home - gradually increase how long you spend in there, close the doors etc over time so they build up lots of good car experiences

-ginger tablets

-restraining with crate or harness/seatbelt attachment so that they can't run around the car and get more anxious

-driving carefully especially around corners - the more driving where you can feel yourself having to correct your position to stay upright, the more likely to spew

[chepet]

I agree , we have tried heaps of things with our cairn , the only thing that works is an empty stomach & plenty of fresh air

good luck

[westiemum]

Hi,

My westie girl was very car sick when I first got her and it seemed to be fear, anxiety and stress - so apart from all the above the other thing that helped her a lot was very short trips in the car to somewhere nice, gradually building up over a week or two. Yes it was a concentrated effort but it really worked and was worth the effort.

So I had a concentrated daily practice of driving down the street to the corner and back again a couple of times (a very short distance!) , (and yes you feel like a dill!), then to the park 2 blocks away and getting out for a quick play and then home again, then to another park three blocks away and a play a couple of times, then to close -by friends who gave her a treat (after I clued them up...), then to the vet and they gave her a treat too (and she learnt to associate the vet with good stuff not just the bad), then to the great pet shop a bit further away... anyway you get the idea... now she can do my place to the Clare Valley (about 2 hours) without a problem.

Oh and I also elevated her on a cushion on the back seat (harness and seat belt tether as well) so she could see out the window - that helped enormously too...

Hope that helps,

Cheers,

Westiemum

[curlygirl]

A friend of mine with a border collie found that those static strips you attatch to the car stop her dog getting car sick. Now when the dog is car sick she replaces the static strip and the dog is fine again.

[TigerJack]

Elevate the dog so it can see out the window. I have a little dog that got carsick without fail every time we went anywhere. I got a puppy booster seat (has a tether clip to attach to the collar on it) and she would happily hop up there and sit up watching wehre we were going and was not ever sick again.

[Jessca]

our mastiff gets severe car sickness. we just dont feed her before we go anywhere, have the windows down and, as unsafe as it is but is the only thing we have found to work, allow her to see where she is going. what she does is she sits on the floor behind one of the front seats and pops her head through the middle, she can then see out the front and where she is going. if we are going on a long trip, she will take herself to the back seat and lay down, then when she starts to feel sick again, she sits up and watches where she is going. this worked for us for a three hour trip. which is really good cause when we first got her, she'd struggle to make it to the end of the street.

[Golden Rules]

Try Rescue Remedy or Emergency Essence.

[Staff'n'Toller]

DAP spray, there was some for sale in the member marketplace.

[Pawfect]

Our vet recommended phenergan - the dose is dependanct on the dog's weight. It's worked for my dog who gets very sick, even on short trips (although I only use it on him if we're in the car for long trips - short trips I do a combination of what the others have suggested).

Edited November 30, 2008 by Pawfect

[Patters]

I tried everything listed above on my girl ( + wipe around the mouth with lemon juice - used the bottle sort). Nothing worked for her. She would be sick 5 times driving to the beach (3km). She loved the beach. Loved the car. She travelled 1000's kms before she was 12 weeks old and was never sick. Then the day after her 2nd Vaccination, it started. It stopped the day I moved house (250km north) when she was 4 and now she is 9 and has never been sick again. ...go figure??? It put paid to her show career and put a lot of restrictions on where we took her.I have had youngsters since her that would be sick on occasion, but it only lasted a month or so.

Good Luck!!!I hope you find a solution!!

Edited to add: Except Phenergen - didn't try that

Edited November 29, 2008 by Clankaree